Exclusive: Disney’s Live-Action ‘Lady and the Tramp’ Will Use Real Dogs

There’s been a bit of debate over Disney’s “live-action” remakes recently concerning whether they actually are, in truth, live-action. The first few undoubtedly were—Cinderella, Pete’s Dragon, and of course Maleficent. But then Jon Favreau’s visually stunning The Jungle Book blurred the lines, with the young actor playing Mowgli serving as the film’s only true live-action element. And with The Lion King on the horizon, which features absolutely no humans and a ton of photoreal visual effects, it’s hard to say it actually is a live-action film.

So you’d be forgiven for assuming that Disney’s upcoming Lady and the Tramp remake might be treading similar territory. As it turns out, not only are there human actors in the film, but the titular pooches are being portrayed by real-life dogs. Collider’s own Christina Radish recently spoke with actor Thomas Mann about his new film Maine, and during the course of their conversation, Mann offered some tantalizing teases about Lady and the Tramp.

In addition to confirming a period setting, Mann said they’re using real live dogs in the movie. Now, it’s unclear if these dogs will be partially replaced in post-production or if visual effects will simply be applied to their mouths so they can speak, but it is heartening to know the film appears to be leaning towards a heavy live-action element during production.

Lady and the Tramp is poised to debut exclusively on Disney’s streaming service Disney+ and is currently in production with director Charlie Bean (The LEGO Ninjago Movie). Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux provide the voices of the titular leads.

Check out what Mann had to say about Disney’s live-action Lady and the Tramp remake during his conversation with Collider below, and look for our full interview with the actor on Collider soon.

Collider: You went from doing something so sparse like Maine, to doing something like Lady and the Tramp. What’s it like to be on a set when you are one of the only human characters?

THOMAS MANN: Thank you for asking about that because it is very strange. Obviously, Lady and the Tramp is a little more comedic, for my character, at least. I get to be little more broad because of its period. That was actually something that was very, very different for me, whereas Maine is a character that’s the closest to myself that I’ve ever played.

There is such an interesting trend with these Disney classics, like Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, The Lion King and now Lady and the Tramp, where we’re getting to see them in a different way. What most excites you about the way that you’re telling the story of Lady and the Tramp?

MANN: I really think it’s an enhanced version of the world that you saw before. Obviously, the human characters are a little more flushed out. They’re not these passing faces that you barely get a glimpse of. You get to know them a little bit better. And also, there are real dogs. Who doesn’t want to see two real dogs kiss over a plate of spaghetti? That is the main draw for me. You get the charisma of real dogs in there. Lady and the Tramp came out in 1955. I understand people who are like, “Don’t mess with the original,” but they aren’t re-animating it. It’s a live-action remake. So, why not?

Did you actually get to act with dogs, or were they not there?

MANN: The dogs were there. We shot with the dogs, every day. They were on set and they weren’t even trained. They found these dogs and started training them about three months before. They just wanted to find the perfect dogs. The main dog’s name was Rose, who played Lady. It was crazy because they didn’t know they were working, so they would run off in the middle of a take, and then come back over. You have to be extra patient because you have to be good every time for when they are good once. It was a lot of fun. It was so cute, every day, to just have a bunch of dogs to play with. It made the job a lot less stressful.

I’m excited about it because I love that story, but I also think it will be really interesting to see what’s done with it because it does feel like there are so many possibilities.

MANN: It’s a little more dramatic, too. I wouldn’t say that it’s a full-on drama or anything, but it’s a little more grown up, in its own way, and a little more sophisticated. It looks beautiful, in the few things that I’ve seen, from the way it was shot. The production design, alone, is pretty immaculate.

That’s so cool! I cried with the Dumbo trailer, so I’m excited to see what Lady and the Tramp looks like, as well.

‘Lady and the Tramp’ Will Reinvent Problematic Siamese Cat Song, Feature New Music From Janelle Monae (EXCLUSIVE)

Grammy winner Janelle Monae will contribute new music to the Disney Plus streaming title “Lady and the Tramp,” in addition to her voice role in the live-action reboot.

Monae will perform two original songs for the film, led by Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux. Monae’s artist collective Wondaland is also “reinventing” a track from the original 1955 animated movie, individuals close to the project said.

That would be “The Siamese Cat Song,” originally recorded by Peggy Lee for the feline duo Si and Am in the animated version. Those characters and their famous refrain — “We are Siamese if you please / We are Siamese if you don’t please” — have long been considered a cringe-worthy depiction of Asian culture.

Wondaland contributors Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Roman GianArthur are working on a different take for the pair, who in the new film are not Siamese cats, the insiders added. Walt Disney Studios confirmed Monae’s musical involvement, as did a rep for the singer.

“We’re dealing with Wondaland, her team of incredibly creative writers and producers that she works with. So our director has engaged with her in terms of what the storytelling [of] the song needs to be,” Kaylin Frank, a vice president in Creative Music and Soundtracks at Disney, said at the recent MUSEXPO Creative Summit in Burbank, Calif.

Frank reassured the conference that while the film is set in 1910 and has a blues-ragtime vibe, Monae’s personal sound will be represented. There’s also a possibility Wondaland will do a pass on the film’s signature song “He’s A Tramp,” another individual added.

In a 2013 analysis of the cat song at culture blog Flavorwire, one author found the depiction of Si and Am a result of a post WWII anxiety America had about the foreign “other,” saying they came to represent a duplicitous and seductive team with shady motives.

“They have no individuality; their innocent blue eyes bend into a sinister glare as they cave at the slant. They are jaundiced and sly; sick and feral; domesticated, though nevertheless propelled by their mischievous, impish nature to deceive and intimidate,” wrote author Marcus Hunter, who called them a “colonist nightmare.”

A retooling of the cat song would not be the first upgrade Disney has given to an animated classic seeing live-action translation. Who among us will soon forget the noise around the “exclusively gay” moment director Bill Condon added to Emma Watson’s “Beauty and the Beast” — in service of Josh Gad’s character Le Fou, who in that original animation pined for the beefy alpha male Gaston with no clear motivation.

Upcoming live-action takes like “Aladdin” and “Mulan” will also accurately represent the racial makeup of their respective characters.

The OTT service Disney Plus is expected to launch in mid-November, and “Lady” soon after.

First Look: See the Canine Cast Starring in the Live-Action Lady and the Tramp Remake

The live-action Lady and the Tramp remake, which is available Nov. 12 only on Disney+, features rescue dogs voiced by human celebrities

The Lion King remake was stunning, but now it’s time to give the dogs the spotlight!

Disney is releasing a live-action remake of Lady and the Tramp — the 1955 film all about true puppy love. The new take on the animated classic will premiere Nov. 12, only on Disney’s new streaming service Disney+.

PEOPLE has a first look at the real life rescue dogs that make up this new film’s cuddly cast and the celebrities who are giving these canines a voice.

Get a peek at what your favorite Lady and the Tramp pooch looks like in real life, and the star who will bring them to life, ahead of the remake’s November premiere by reading on below.

Justin Theroux as Tramp

In the upcoming film, Tramp is played by a rescue dog with soulful eyes named Monte and is voiced by animal lover Theroux, who is a proud pet parent to his own rescue Kuma. Monte was rescued from a kill-shelter in New Mexico by Halo Animal Rescue and then transferred to a shelter in Phoenix, where he was adopted by on of the film’s animal trainers, Mark Forbes.

Tessa Thompson as Lady

Thompson will be lending her voice to the other half of this famous canine couple. Lady herself with be portrayed in the remake by a talented Cocker Spaniel named Rose.

Sam Elliott as Trusty

Elliott will use his famous drawl to bring Trusty — the wise bloodhound with a lost sense of smell — to life in this new take on Lady and the Tramp.

Janelle Monáe as Peg

The fluffy pooch, who is famous for crooning “He’s a Tramp” in the 1955 film, will get her pipes from 33-year-old Monáe in the 2019 remake.